


Illusions and Earnesty

by IlanaNight



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Other, Trans Duck Newton, Trans Male Character, genderfluid indrid cold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 10:05:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18179207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IlanaNight/pseuds/IlanaNight
Summary: Dating a human was exhilarating- and terrifying. Even if Duck knew that he was the Mothman, Indrid could never be sure if Duck wanted to date him like that- or if Duck was only interested in his human disguise. Alternatively: Two times Indrid's glasses didn't come off during a makeout session, and the one time they did.





	Illusions and Earnesty

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the TAZ Amnesty Minibang! It features a trans male Duck, and a genderfluid Indrid. Between scenes (marked with horizontal breaks) Indrid may change pronouns, so be aware of that! Thank you!

Dating Duck Newton was a little bit like travelling backwards to a simpler time. Or well, at least a more modest time, a time Indrid thought had been left behind almost a hundred years ago, really. But, it lived on in the border-south, it seemed.

 

The first few months were adorably chaste. And yes, maybe that was in part because Duck couldn’t exactly go parading him around- Indrid was a bit of a shut in, and Duck was very well known in town. If he brought someone out for a night on the town- whatever that consisted of in Kepler, anyway- everyone would know by sunrise. And would want to know every single detail.

 

But, part of it was also just Duck’s sensibilities. Indrid would have to hand it to her sometime, Duck’s mother raised a hell of a gentleman. The man called at his door, tipped his hat, or took it off entirely, and offered him an arm before he could even get outside. It was all very sweet, and it left Indrid with a fluttering in his chest and a knot in his stomach every time they took a walk in the forest.

 

Laying on the floor of his Winnebago, Indrid’s mouth slid open into a grin- not his usual toothy smile, the one that had earned him some of his many titles over the years, but a softer one. Wide, and, maybe a little silly as he reminisced about the past few months.

 

* * *

  


Indrid had been on this planet for well over a century, and more than once, he’d taken a lesson or two in the stars and constellations visible from Earth. But none of them had given him the warm, tight feeling in his heart and chest that Duck’s had. Maybe it was the low tone of his voice- quiet so as to not to disturb the forest while he waxed poetic about the stars and their stories. Or maybe it was Duck’s breath, warm against his neck and cheek as he whispered into Indrid’s ear. Or maybe it was the heat of Duck’s hand against his hip, resting there and holding him close.

 

Laying on a blanket on the forest floor, looking up at the stars, Indrid was certain he had never wanted to kiss someone so much in his life.

 

“And uh. That one? Up there? With the stars clustered almost in a circle? That’s uh. That’s Orion’s belt- if you’re real imaginative you can-”

 

Indrid cut him off abruptly, grabbing Duck by his cheeks and pressing their mouths together in a kiss. Duck’s mouth was as warm as the rest of him- a little chapped, a little scratchy, but _deliciously_ warm. And as soon as Indrid had a taste, he wanted more.

 

Duck was more addictive than any sugar he’d ever tasted.

 

After the initial shock, Duck seemed to get with the program, one hand cupping Indrid’s face while the hand at his waist slid behind his back and pulled him closer so they were both lying on their sides, mouths locked together. Indrid shivered a bit at the warmth, mouth falling open in a gasp of surprise and contentment, and Duck was quick to take advantage of the space, slipping his tongue in to trace along the edges of Indrid’s teeth.

 

Indrid’s gasp turned into a moan swiftly as he let Duck press him backwards. His hands slid down from Duck’s face, one back into his hair and the other lower, trying to coax Duck up over him. He laid back, tugging Duck along with him so that the ranger hovered over him.

 

Indrid caught sight of Duck’s eyes glinting in the low starlight, a smile on his face as they pulled apart for a moment, catching their breath.

 

“Jeez, darlin’. You coulda just asked.”

 

“No I couldn’t have. You’d get too nervous, and I’d die from the visions of secondhand embarrassment,” Mischief colored Indrid’s grin, but it didn’t last long, Duck laughing and leaning down to catch his lips in a kiss again and drawing another low moan from his lips.

 

“You’re not wrong, but you didn’t have to say it like that.”

 

Both of them laughed, noses brushing up against each other, and for a moment Indrid looked up into Duck’s eyes before his mouth was captured yet again and his eyes slipped closed behind the glasses, letting himself drift into the pleasure and intimacy of the moment.

 

* * *

  


Making the first move had been a good choice. It meant Indrid bypassed Duck’s anxieties over what was too much or too soon. But it also, apparently, gave Duck the impression that Indrid wanted to be in control of this whole affair.

 

And that was quite far from the truth.

 

Indrid was curled up against Duck’s side, sapping warmth from his side while they watched a movie. She’d lost track of what movie they were watching- they’d decided to marathon all of the Die Hards, and she wasn’t sure how many had started and finished. But it didn’t really matter- she was content to just zone the movies out and wrap her arms around him, nuzzled in against his neck. Every now and then she’d ask a question, more for the excitement of listening to Duck ramble on in answer than in actual desire to understand the movie.

 

As the credits for this movie rolled, Indrid let out a trilling little purr, nuzzling in closer. Duck chuckled, a sound Indrid could feel as much as hear, close as she was to him.

 

“Done with John McClain for the night, sweet pea?”

 

“Hmm. Yes, I think so. I’m much more interested in more realistic heroes,” She smiled, sitting up and kissing his cheek before pausing and resting her chin on his shoulder, thinking and flipping through futures.

 

Her pause must have been long enough for Duck to notice, because he hummed in the back of his throat, wrapping an arm around Indrid’s waist and squeezing, getting her attention, “Somethin’ wrong? You’ve got that uh. Faraway look on your face, like when you told me not to drive because there was a tree falling later.”

 

Flushing, Indrid coughed to clear her throat, embarrassed to be caught in her future seeing, “Oh- no, no. I was just. Gauging your reaction to something.”

 

Duck pulled a little ways away from her, raising an eyebrow and snorting, “Indrid. You don’t gotta go through every future before you do somethin’- don’t you ever wanna just be surprised by the way things turn out?”  


“Not really, no,” Indrid answered immediately, tense, but then she thought about it for a moment and sighed, “Well. Okay. Sometimes I wish I could be surprised- I see people on TV or read it in books and it always… sounds fun? But it never actually happens for me- as soon as someone makes a decision, the futures shift or narrow down and I know. And- nevermind.”

 

There was a beat of silence, Indrid looking down at where their legs were pressed against each other, her knee almost over his. Her thoughts, roiling behind a little frown, were interrupted by Duck reaching over and brushing a long wave of hair out of her face, causing her to look back up at him quizzically, “Did you say something? Sorry- I zoned out.”

 

“Nah. Didn’t say anythin’- I was waiting for you to finish. Nevermind usually means I’ve got more to say, in my experience.”

 

Duck’s words had something jumping in Indrid’s chest, and she reached for the hand resting on Duck’s knee, entwining her fingers with his. It took her a moment to put the words together, nervous about saying it.

 

“I’m scared. That’s it, really. I’m scared of what I might not see- so I’m always looking.”

 

Before she could really realize what was happening, and certainly before she’d had time to see him doing it in her visions, Duck had grabbed her by her waist, pulling her into his lap so he could look her directly in the eye. And that eye contact was quickly too much for her, causing her to look away, ashamed of her admission.

 

A hand gently grabbed her chin, urging her to look back up, and eventually she did, meeting Duck’s eyes again.

 

“You don’t gotta be scared about this, Indrid. There’s nothin’ scary here. If something goes wrong, we can just stop, and we can talk it out. Or we can give each other space. It’s not the end of the world. Ma didn’t raise a _total_ shitnead.”

 

As he spoke, Indrid looked down again, nervous. That same warmth fluttered in her chest, and she bit her lip until Duck cupped her face again, coaxing her back into looking at him. There was an honest warmth in his eyes that shook her- Duck was always honest, sure, the man couldn’t lie, but such uninhibited care caught her off guard.

 

Unable to find words that fit how she was feeling, and still a little choked up by the warm, tight feeling in her throat, Indrid leant in, catching Duck’s lips in a kiss. Soft at first, and then firmer, pressing closer when Duck melted into the kiss, meeting her with equal warmth and vigor.

 

Duck’s hand slid back from cupping her cheek into her hair, nails grazing her scalp, and Indrid shivered, gasping at the sensation. Following his example, she curled her own fingers into his hair, tugging at the strands as she returned the kisses, deeper and more aggressive with each successive kiss.

 

Teeth caught on her lower lip, and Indrid let out a gasp, whining into Duck’s mouth and rocking down against him instinctively, a flash of heat down her spine, “ _Oh,_ Duck…. Please? More of that? Please?”

 

Duck pulled back for a moment, looking at her with hooded eyes, and one of his hands slid down around her waist to the small of her back, pulling her closer, “Don’t look into the future, darlin’- just ask me. Tell me what you want.”

 

Just the notion of asking something, making a hard move, without knowing the potential outcomes was a little nervewracking to her, but exciting too- there was something wonderful about not knowing what was going to happen next, in a situation that was safe. Trying to find words, Indrid kissed at his mouth and jaw, purring in the back of her throat, “I want you- please? On me, in me, _anything,_ please.”

 

Something in there must have been the magic word, because Duck made a noise akin to a growl, pulling her in for a deep kiss before working his way down her neck, kissing and suckling little bruises into the skin. Everywhere he touched felt like it was on fire, causing her to wriggle and whine in his lap, tugging at his hair again with a whine.

 

“ _Now,_ please.”

 

A laugh echoed up from Duck, and he wrapped his arms around her more securely, picking her up so that he could stand, still cradling her close to him. Indrid was surprised to be off the ground, but took advantage of the opportunity, kissing down Duck’s neck and wrapping her legs around his waist.

 

“Y’know, I like it when you get impatient. It’s cute,” Duck’s voice was rough, lower than usual, and Indrid purred again- she wanted his voice like that more often, as often as she could get it, it set a fire somewhere deep in her stomach.

 

“I _want_ you, Duck. You asked!” Maybe there was a bit of pout to her voice, but she wasn’t  going to bring attention to that, not while she had a whole expanse of skin to bite at and try to return Duck’s favor.

 

Credit to Duck, he was very deft at opening the door with one hand occupied holding her. Before she could really get her bearings, he was setting her down on the bed, crawling in after her. Indrid reached for his face, pulling him down for another kiss and hooking her legs around his waist to keep him close.

 

Warm fingers slid down her sides to tease at the hem of her shirt, Duck humming in lieu of actually voicing his question, and Indrid nodded. If Duck was this warm _through_ both of their clothes, she couldn’t wait to feel what it was like without them.

 

Arching her back to help him slip the tanktop off, she was quick to start work on the buttons of Duck’s shirt, wanting to expose his skin in return. Quicker on the draw, she tossed his shirt aside and latched her mouth onto the new skin, a dark and soft canvas for her to make her trail of bruises across.

 

As she worked her way down his chest, hands and mouth wandering over every inch of skin she could touch, she came across the raised scars across his chest. Smiling against the skin, she pressed little kisses to the full length of the scar, enjoying the little whines and gasps it got out of Duck all the while.

 

Somewhere along the line, Duck pressed her back down, lightly holding her and grinning down at her, “Baby… lemme take care of you. My turn.”

 

And then his mouth was on her and she was lost in sensation. Hot and wet against her neck and her chest, setting her skin on fire. One of her hands slid down from his hair to clutch at his back, nails digging in anytime he sucked a new bruise in, or- _oh god,_ when his mouth wrapped around her nipple, teeth dragging across the raised nub of skin.

 

Before she even realized it, she’d started rocking her hips up against him, begging for any kind of friction. And when Duck pressed back down against her, Indrid let out a moan, back arching and head lolling back.

 

“ _Please,_ Duck. Right now, I _need_ you,” Moans came in between the words, and she shuddered, feeling just how tight her pants were and how every rock of their hips together brought her closer and closer to seeing stars.

 

Her head tossed back again, and Indrid felt her glasses wiggle on her face, suddenly pausing in her writhing to grab them and shove them back, a feeling like ice water down her spine and mixing with the heat in her stomach.

 

No, no. Just because Duck wanted her and knew what she looked like didn’t mean he wanted _that._ Didn’t wanna kill the mood, didn’t wanna scare him-

 

“Hey, pumpkin? Everythin’ alright?”

 

Duck’s soft, concerned voice cut through her panicked thoughts, and she realized everything had stopped. He wasn’t rocking down against her, wasn’t peppering her skin with kisses. He was just looking at her with concern and warmth in his mismatched eyes.

 

That concern helped blanket some of the deepest of her worries, settling the worst of the gnawing monster in her stomach. Reaching up, she pulled herself up by her hand on the back of his neck, kissing him softly.

 

“Yes. Fine. Everything’s fine. Almost lost my glasses, is all. We’re fine, Duck Newton.”

 

Duck returned the kisses, warm and slow, clearly still not sure. But Indrid was determined to push through the knot of anxiety in her stomach- she could deal with that later, on her own. She didn’t want to ruin this evening.

 

Kissing him with more heat, Indrid slipped her hands down his chest and stomach again, caressing the skin and idly tracing patterns on it- drawing a giggly laugh from Duck.

 

“Babe- darlin’- _Indrid,_ please I’m _ticklish,”_ He could barely get the sentences out around the laughter, and Indrid grinned, getting back her confidence the more she made him laugh. It was such a beautiful sound.

 

Once she’d tormented him enough, she slipped her hand lower, unbuttoning his pants and teasing at the waistband of his underwear. Duck paused, humming in the back of his throat, and placed his hand over hers.

 

“You sure, sweet pea? We can wait if you want- there’s no rush.”

 

“I’m sure, Duck. I want this- I want _you,”_ Indrid kissed him deeply, trying to quiet both his worries and her own as she pushed his pants down around his hips and thighs, giving her room to slide her hand between his legs.

 

Carefully pulling his packer out, she set it aside on the bed, teasing her fingers across his lower lips. The noises that coaxed out of Duck were _delicious,_ encouraging her and pushing past the last of her concerns, boxing up the anxieties for another time. Catching his dick in the space between her index and middle finger, she teased him, mouthing against his neck.

 

Moans and curses slipped past Duck’s lips and Indrid pressed onward, but found herself stopped when Duck’s hand roughly slid past her own waistband. Her pants were easier to get off, the drawstring loose from all the horsing around, and within moments his hand was wrapped around her dick, sending shivers down her spine.

 

“ _Oh,_ Duck… Damn….. _Please,_ ” Her fingers delved into him as Duck sped up the thrusts of his hand around her dick, both of them moving rough and a little jagged, trying to explore boundaries but at the same time oh so close.

 

Indrid spilled over first, only giving Duck a moment’s notice, cried out against his skin, “Duck- I’m-,” And then a sharp moan, her vision whiting out entirely for a moment. Not wanting to be outshone, she kept thrusting her fingers into Duck through her own orgasm, her thumb catching against his dick.

 

And soon enough, Duck followed after her, clenching around her fingers as moisture dripped out of him, slick and warm.

 

“ _Fuck,_ Indrid,” The words were hoarse and hot against her neck, his hips twitching as he came down from the orgasm and settled atop her, face in the crook of her neck, “You’re gorgeous, darlin’.... Love you…”

 

The words were spoken softly, dripping with Duck’s thick, lazy accent, but also dripping with that earnest warmth Indrid couldn’t put words to. And they inspired yet another feeling she didn’t have a name for, warm and bright and nearly bursting. And before she could stop herself, she responded, almost instinctively.

 

“I love you too.”

 

* * *

  


A knock on the door of his Winnebago jolted Indrid out of his reminiscence, and maybe that was for the best. He was _certainly_ feeling a little too warm and tight for the _start_ of his night with Duck. Wouldn’t want to give the ranger too much of an upper hand.

 

Running a hand through his hair, Indrid straightened the collar of his shirt, trying to look at least somewhat respectable as he opened the door. There, standing, with his hat held over his heart yet again, and his other hand behind his back, was Duck Newton.

 

Indrid’s heart skipped a beat at the sight alone- god, he really was in love.

 

“Are you a vampire? Do I have to verbally welcome you in, Duck? This late in our relationship? Surely you know you’re _always_ welcome inside,” Indrid put special emphasis on the ends of those words, grinning his toothy smile as Duck coughed, flustered.

 

“It’s rude to just come bargin’ in. Besides. I’m just picking you up, aren’t I? I’ve got dinner cookin’ back at my place.”

 

Duck put his hat back on, revealing a bouquet of flowers- and wow, if everything else hadn’t given away how much of an old romantic Duck was, this was the final piece. Taking the flowers, Indrid shoved his face into them, resisting the urge to just take a bite. Some of them smelled a little too nectary for his moth senses to handle.

 

“You’re spoiling me yet again, Duck Newton,” Indrid took a few steps away from the door, looking at the glasses littered around the room. All of them had eggnog in them, or the residue of an actually finished glass. And he didn’t have a vase anywhere- why would he.

 

Sighing, he quickly grabbed one of the less-grimy looking glasses, running it under the sink for a moment and filling it with water once it looked mostly clean. He carefully set the flowers inside, admiring them and the gesture behind them for a moment as he placed them on the counter before heading back to the door.

 

“Thank you- I’m all set to go now. If you still want me to come for dinner.”

 

“‘Course I want you to come, Indrid. I’m cooking it just for you,” Duck offered him his arm and Indrid was quick to take it, stepping down from his Winnebago and then up into Duck’s truck, settling in to be driven across town.

 

Everything Duck had ever cooked for him was amazing. And maybe Indrid was biased- he didn’t really eat much human food before this whole relationship had begun, surviving on juices and eggnog, for the most part. But he chose to believe that this, like most things about Duck, was just another facet of how wonderful he was.

 

After dinner was finished, the two gravitated towards the couch, Duck putting something on the TV that neither of them were inclined to pay attention to. Duck’s cat wandered over for a bit- it had taken her some time to get used to Indrid, but she was comfortable around him now, or at least comfortable enough to let him pet her and scratch under her chin every now and again. But she’d long since gone to go settle in front of the heater, curled up in a warm little ball.

 

How relatable.

 

Indrid chuckled a little bit to himself as he curled in closer to Duck- he was doing much the same thing, rolled up close to Duck, who was, for all intents and purposes, rather like a bear of a space heater. Duck must have heard his little laugh, because he turned to look at Indrid, eyebrow raised, and in response Indrid leant in, kissing him softly.

 

“It’s nothing, Duck. Just thinking.”

 

They lapsed into silence again for a moment, before Indrid leant in, kissing at Duck’s neck and wrapping an arm around to idly trace patterns on his side and coax a wriggly giggle out of him.

 

“Why do you always- gotta do it like that?” Duck laughed, pulling Indrid into his lap to stop him from doing any more tickling.

 

“Because I know it’ll get me what I want.”

 

That earned him another laugh, and a kiss to the underside of his jaw. Duck started working down his neck, kissing and sucking little bruises into the skin, and Indrid was quick to melt into the sensations, letting out little moans and purrs.

 

His head tilted back, and he felt the glasses slip, and for a second, that same cold gripped him that had plagued him each and every time they did this. But it was beaten out by something, by a trust that had been building each successive time he and Duck did something like this.

 

And because he didn’t react, Duck didn’t pull back and stop, continuing down his neck and tugging the neck of his shirt away to suck a bruise into the skin above his collarbone. And when Indrid threw his head back, moaning at the flash of heat, his glasses tumbled off, the enchantment falling with them.

 

Suddenly, Indrid was much larger, Duck’s face buried more in the middle of his torso than his neck where it had been previously. And suddenly, the fear that he’d been pushing back behind a wall of trust and pleasure hit him full force, Indrid going stiff.

 

“Sorry- sorry, oh, god, I’m so sorry Duck, let me-”

 

“Indrid. Stop,” Duck held him still, looking up at him and reaching to grab Indrid’s face. He was gentle, but coaxing, pulling Indrid to look back down at him, red eyes wide, “Why are you apologizing?”

 

“Because- you. We’re. This is,” He couldn’t find the words- didn’t _want_ to find the words, didn’t want to voice his deepest concerns and fears regarding this whole relationship. The last thing Indrid wanted was to lose the illusion of perfection they’d created.

 

“This is you. I know this is you, Indrid. And I love you,” Duck’s free hand slid into the soft, downy feathers of his chest, brushing back around to his back and then up in soothing, warm circles. “Why would I love you any less like this?”

 

“Because- because. Because I’m a _monster,_ Duck. I’m not human, and. I don’t _look_ human and. You deserve. You deserve someone human.”

 

“You’re not a monster. You’re Indrid. And I happen to think I deserve Indrid very much, thank you,” He smiled, leaning up and pulling Indrid down simultaneously, placing a kiss to sharp teeth and pulled back lips.

 

“Besides. I’ve always had a thing for the mothman. Ever since I saw that statue down in Point Pleasant. Now? I get to kiss the real thing.”

 

Duck grinned, clearly joking, but there it was again. Warmth and honesty and love. And Indrid let out a trilling noise, chittering, a noise incapable by human standards, as he kissed Duck again, deep and warm and _relieved._

 

“I love you, Duck Newton.”

 

“I love you too, Indrid.”

 

There was a moment of silence, Duck clearly waiting and giving Indrid space. But really, Indrid had had _enough_ of space.

 

Leaning in, Indrid caught Duck’s mouth in a hot kiss, sliding a too-long tongue in between his teeth and drawing a moan up from Duck’s chest. One clawed hand slid into Duck’s hair, tugging at the strands, and the other pulled up the back of his shirt to run claws along the column of his spine.

 

“Duck. _Please.”_

 

That magic word was all it took, Duck pulling back from the kisses to wrap his arms around Indrid. It was a little harder to be picked up like this, but the ranger managed it all the same, and if Indrid hadn’t already been eager for this, that would have done it.

 

“That’s the magic word, sweet pea.”

 

Duck laughed and Indrid found himself joining in with a roll of his eyes before sinking his teeth into Duck’s neck, drawing a moan from the ranger and persuading him to work a little faster at getting them into the bedroom.

 

As Duck laid him down on the bed, lavishing him with touches and kisses, Indrid couldn’t help the warm smile that settled on his face.

 

Maybe it wasn’t an illusion of perfection after all. Maybe this was just perfect.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked it, hop over to tumblr and drop me a line! http://ilananight.tumblr.com
> 
> The art pieces included can be found here:  
> https://celestiscribs.tumblr.com/post/183589319958/and-uh-that-one-up-there-with-the-stars  
> http://ilananight.tumblr.com/post/183591279877/you-dont-gotta-be-scared-about-this-indrid


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